COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF PROJECT DELIVERY IN RURAL WATER PROJECTS IN WALUNGU TERRITORY, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Abstract

Access to clean and sustainable rural water services remains a major challenge in many parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite significant investments in the water sector. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how different dimensions of community participation influence the sustainability of rural water services in Walungu Territory. The study focused on four specific objectives: it examined how community involvement in decision-making influences the sustainability of a rural water project in Walungu Territory; analyzed how capacity building influences the sustainability of a rural water project in Walungu Territory; assessed how participation in operation and maintenance contributes to the sustainability of rural water projects in Walungu Territory; and explored how ownership and sense of responsibility influence the sustainability of a rural water project in Walungu Territory. Guided by Arnstein's Ladder of Citizen Participation Theory and Sustainability Theory, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. A sample of 360 households was selected using simple random sampling, while 35 key informants were selected purposively. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 27, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Pearson correlation analysis showed weak but significant positive relationships between sustainability and capacity building (r = 0.110, p = .042) and operation and maintenance (r = 0.199, p < .001), whereas decision-making (r = 0.069, p = .199) and ownership (r = −0.031, p = .561) were not significantly related to sustainability. Multiple regression analysis showed that operation and maintenance was the only statistically significant predictor of sustainability (β = 0.180, p = .001), while the other dimensions were not significant. The study recommends strengthening community participation in operation and maintenance through regular maintenance, technical capacity building, and collaboration among communities, local authorities, and development partners. Further studies should examine other factors influencing sustainability across different contexts and over time. The study contributes context-specific empirical evidence showing that the dimensions of community participation do not contribute equally to the sustainability of rural water services in Walungu territories.